Seamus

I am so happy that we went to Kentucky to find this beautiful gelding.  He's going to be such a great partner!  He arrived this past Friday the 24th, earlier than expected.  We had him shipped from KY since another trip to KY would mean another weekend for us and we still need to get the barn and workshop rewired so we are still without power out there.  I may not have mentioned it in this blog but yeah, we cut the power 4 months ago since there was a short and my hubby is working tirelessly to get everything rewired and we are also updating the lighting.

Anyways......my new horse we've decided to go with the barn name of Seamus.  It just fit him.  I'd dreamed of getting a horse named Brego (Aragorn's mount in the LOTR movies) or Rhaego (the unborn child of Daenerys in GOT) or even Tybalt (Shakespeare "Romeo and Juliet").  Rhaego would have been really fun since I have a horse named Daenerys.  But low and beyond he just seemed like a Seamus to me, I like Irish names. Names often just happen.

The first day he was just in the barn yard with the other two horses across the fence from him.  Squeals galore from my mare and even a few from the gelding.  Oh my poor neighbors!  Our little neighborhood had just enough hilliness to make some fun echoes. When they all seemed to be doing well I put them all in the Shire, our northern pasture.  Only for about an hour though since I didn't want Dani getting too much of the green grass with her issues.

The second day I let the horses be together in the Wormhole which is the area between the north and southwest fields and includes the smaller barnyard.  The horses can come and go from the stalls and they also have access to the run-in shed.  They all seemed to be doing very well, Dani was mostly chasing Chance and Chance on occasion made Seamus move. I was inside to let them do their thing but could see the barn yard from my seat on the sofa.  Seamus came galloping through the barnyard and jumped the wood fence, knocking out the top rail.  OMG!!!

I went outside to find him between our two sheds grazing some grass, a little freaked out but seeming fine.  I went into the barn to get a halter and Steve had come out to prevent Seamus from getting to the road.  We got him back to the barn and I checked him over.  Thank goodness he was unharmed.  Not a single hair scraped off.  Chance had jumped this same area back in September when he got his tail caught in the spring gate and he was all banged up.  I was relieved. 

Later we had an incident after feeding.  We were trying to figure out the best way to feed everyone since Chance has to eat 3 lbs of grain each sitting since he'd been losing weight last summer. It takes forever.  Anyhow, the horses were done so I released Seamus from his stall and we went to the bucket where there were still tidbit of food left.  Chance came over a little aggressively and our old dog Loki got in the way and Seamus turned around and struck at him.  I flung my hands up and Seamus backed off so I could grab my poor dog and get him out of there.  Loki is always under foot with the horses but I should have known better.  This is a new horse who is scared, in a new place with new routines, new horses and new humans.  I felt bad for both him and Loki.  Luckily Loki has a thick head and aside from a scrape by the eye seemed to be alright.

Those two events were enough for the weekend.  Things have calmed down and we have come up with a good routine to move the horses to the two stalls or barnyard in a certain order for feeding.  We also then release them in a certain order too.  With two horses it was easier but with three we are using a catch halter to quickly grab one at a time (Seamus and then Dani) into a stall and then leave Chance in the aisle to eat their grain. Why I've never heard of these before a Stacy Westfall podcast I don't know but this thing is so handy and better than just a lead rope to quickly maneuver a horse.

Seamus is settling in and is already proving to be a very in your pocket horse.  I was racking old hay, and he wanted to help.  Mucking the yard, he wanted to help. I entered the barn yard, he came up to sniff me and say hi.  So far we've just done work on the ground, his front feet aren't as easy to pick up so we are working on that. I'll be getting a saddle that fits him this weekend I hope. 

I just hope Dani isn't too jealous!  I love her dearly but I'm so excited to have a young horse that I'll be able to go do things with and meet other horse people.  Welcome to Geek Acres Seamus!

Great Horse Shopping in Lexington, KY

Part I Lexington Horse Shopping

We took a trip to Lexington, Kentucky this weekend to search for a gaited horse. Either a Rocky Mountain or Kentucky Mountain. I'd looked at several in NC and in VA. I started actively searching probably in mid-October.

I went to two places in NC that were Rocky Mountain breeders/stables.  The first one I arrived at to find that two of the horses I wanted to look at were on a trail ride. There was a miscommunication I guess that I was coming between the trainer and the trail ride boss....

I told them we'd be back in a couple hours then since we could run over to this other place to look at a horse and it was only 20 minutes away.  So I looked at a nice black gelding that was very calm.  He didn't lead well and eye balled us a little but didn't threaten to shy or react.  His trainer rode him and gaited him.  Then I hopped on.  We walked around and then I did some serpentines on him.  He was very stiff but responded well.  He needed some work and his trainer said he needed a lot of lateral work which would help.  I didn't have the courage to ride faster at that time.  The horse just felt very hesitant under me.  Not a good combo with my nerves.

We went back to the place we started at and the trail ride was over....but the trainer said she really didn't think that horse A a nice grullo gelding should be sold (even though the owners wanted to sell him and he has since been sold) and then the other horse B a black gelding (they decided not to sell, even though I had just talked to them on the phone that week about him).  I ended up riding a chestnut gelding and got to ride him and gait him on the dirt road.  The trainer was telling me he wasn't trained leg cues since he's a trail horse so when I was having trouble have him move over his haunches apparently that was part of the issue.  He kept trying to head back towards either the trainer or the barn and I was just not feeling it with him so we finished up and headed home....a little frustrated honestly.

About an hour from my house I was contacted about a Rocky Mountain mare that was coming 5 years and not ridden as much....husband horse (I know that story!).  So we tried to make plans and couldn't align until after the Thanksgiving holidays.  Then her household was sick and we went into more holidays.  I contacted her in January and she said things were just crazy at there house she didn't have a moment to get anything ready to sell.  She'd reach out to me.  I haven't heard from her but I certainly know how life can throw everything at you to the point you can barely breath.  The mare's pictures were gorgeous though so I was bummed.

Since I was going to north of the Roanoke area for Christmas with the family I posted on a Facebook group and found that a Saddlebred show and training stable on the south of Roanoke had just received a cute grade Rocky Mountain gelding in a trade. We went to see him.  He was very sweet and affectionate.  His hooves were way overdue for a trim and the seller was planning to do that soon.  She rode him and he didn't really gait, he seemed to sort of pace or trot.  The video showed that he was maybe gaiting or stepping pacing, which is four beats but not evenly timed.  The previous owner and even the one before that who I was able to reach out to apparently had never ridden gaited and really didn't know what they were doing so it seems he got into some bad habits.  As I'm new to gaited as well I'm learning that it's easy to get a good gaiting horse and then have issues if you don't really start understanding the gait and how to correct if the horse starts step pacing or pacing.  It will be a learning curve for me. I wasn't too worried, I was planning to attend an Ivy Starnes gaited horse clinic in late March if I purchased him and could work out some of those issues.  I also had reached out to a local trainer since I know I'll want to get educated on gaited horses and learn this new area of horsemanship.

Anyways, long story short, he was a great horse, I liked the connection and feel I had with him so wanted to move forward.  The vet exam showed that whatever hoof care he'd received or not received and probably just general conformation led to very unbalanced front hoof that was already causing structural bone issues. That was a hard since I really liked the gelding but the vet questioned his long term soundness and possibility of injections and I knew I wasn't ready to take that on with two old horses already in the barn.  The search continued.

I almost forgot I rode a beautiful young 3.5 year old, thought she was 4 at least. She was only 30 minutes from me  Nice little filly but way too green.  I did well riding her for a bit and even gaited a bit but then she just stopped and didn't want to move.  The trainer eventually swamped places with me and I got on her again outside of the roundpen...they said it was hard for her to gait in there....  Anyways I mounted up, she did a quick spin silly spook thing almost unseating me and I got off immediately.  Nope, too green for me.

There also was a 6 year old mare an hour away that went for sale and I planned to see her in 4 days, that Saturday.  A guy came up from Charolotte NC and rode her a couple days before me and loved her so she was under contract.  Man, good ones go fast!!!

 Steve and I headed to Kentucky this past weekend to horse shop. That Friday my first stop I saw a beautiful and sweet mare.  Her trainer hopped on her and rode her.  She wasn't the best for mounting, he'd told me about that.  She had a nice gait but was very very green under saddle and I started having my heart race just thinking about riding her.  I got teary, just remembering the experience I had horse shopping years ago.  It was one horse that bolted back into the barn and caused me to fall hard into the stall door and on a cinder block.  It is enough to make me extremely cautious around new horses.  I didn't want to ride her.  The trainer was so kind and understood.  We chatted a bit since we had to wait for my hubby to return from a Bourbon place.  He had another horse that was 5k above my limit but he said she was everything I would need in temperament and training.  I'm sure she was but I wasn't ready to raise my budget yet again.  The horse sale prices in general and now a rarer breed have really caused me sticker shock. I thanked him for his time and some advice he gave me.  I was going to several people he knew so he said I was in good hands.  I also knew who to avoid and he'd agreed on that!

 

The next place I went to had two Rocky Mountain mares, the first was a black 9 year old.  She was very cute and had a little gait that reminded me of a Paso Fino. When it was my turn to ride I got on and rode her in a smaller round pen in the indoor arena and also tried out the gait.  She was very soft and responsive.  Then I rode around the larger arena and moved her around some poles and turned and stopped and backed etc etc.  She was great.  She did have a habit, and her owner told me about it, that when she was stopped she would take the bit and pull quick a couple times.  Dani sometimes does that but this mare did it a bit harder.  We'd have to work on it.  The trainer told me to bop her outwards with the reins when she does that.  After the I was done with riding her we discussed the other mare and trainer said that he thought she would not be a good fit for me with my fear issues and I appreciated it.  I definitely thought this mare was a contender.  Then we got to chatting with him about the eye issues that are genetic in the breed.  He showed me a normal eye and then another horse he had that was MCOA positive.  He is able to see but sometimes if a horse is positive it can be at a greater level.  Good thing is it's not progressive and the black horses I've seen so far cannot have it and do not carry it either, which is good if I wanted to breed any mare I purchased.  Which I don't have the desire (or knowledge to breed) but that's good to learn that stuff for my curiosity.

The next barn I went to had two mares and a gelding that they had just recently decided to sell.  When I got there I asked which was the calmest, steady one.  It was the gelding.  Okay then.  He had a find eye and a nice way about him. He was tacked up and then the owner hopped up on him even in the small confines of the prep stall.  He didn't bat an eyelash.  She walked him a little and then gaited him around.  He was quick to gait and went about happily.  Apparently he loves gaiting and will just go on auto pilot if you want.  I hopped up and starting working with him.  He wanted to gait right away but I told him "No not yet" and began walking him.  I felt his response to my legs to move over and at first he thought I wanted gait but eventually realized what I was asking.  I did a sloppy serpentine and changes of direction.  I stopped, I backed him. Then I gaited him and stopped him from the gait and changed direction etc etc.  He was great.  Some stuff he and I will need to work on to get on the same page for communication but he was so willing and kind. I was feeling "it".

The trip was great.  I met some great trainers I would recommend to others if they are looking for a RM or KM horse.  I was given time to see each horse and get a feel for them.  I felt like I had a great mare and a gelding to consider. 

I made the offer on the black KM gelding.  As I type this I am really excited about him.  His registered name is KO Lowrider aka "Tate".  I haven't picked a barn name for me to use but I'll need to get a better feel for what his name should be. Everyone likes making there own barn names....  I have some ideas. His owners and trainers were very nice and let me work with him and get a feel for him.  I then asked them a lot of the questions I needed.  I just had that feeling, that connection. He did well in the pre-purchase exam and will head to NC on Friday!  I am over the moon with excitement!

Micromanaging Sellers- a personal rant

Part II Lexington Horse Shopping

I had to make this it's own post....  This may have been a personality thing or maybe some horse trainers out there feel like they need to be the ones to help someone connect with a horse....like people can't do it on their own.....sure I want to know a horses past and hear about their training but to feel like I'm under complete scrutiny is not a fun feeling. If you don't want to read a rant just move on to the fun post about my Lexington shopping experience here

I had an appointment in Lexington on Saturday with another breeder about an hour out from Lexington.  I'd chatted on the phone with her before and had been stressing out about meeting her.  The way she talked about her training process, and then the selling process where she was saying I would need to spend a full day or more looking at her horses (there is only the one for sale that I was interested in.....).  Let's just put it plainly; I felt this was going to be a very particular and picky lady.  

I gave her the benefit of the doubt though and arranged to see her Saturday instead of her being the first one we saw on Friday. That was our first day in Lexington I wanted to make sure I saw the number of other horses that sounded great in the area vs. having her monopolize my time. We arrived on Saturday to meet this horse.  The trainer had told me we would take an ATV out to the 70 acre pasture to get him so I could see him being caught.  Okay fun.  But that ATV ride was up and down some really steep hills and I was clinging to her and holding on for dear life.  I was expecting the same type of rolling fields I saw in Lexington but I guess it's far enough out to be in the foothills. The huge gelding came right up to us and was very friendly. He was only 15.1 but to me he seemed huge; how 2 inches makes a horse that much larger I have no idea! The lady handed me the halter, a standard one but with the throat latch unhooked so you put in on differently, not the way I do it so I struggled and she had to help. Immediately I felt like an idiot. I don't find that an easier way to put on a halter honestly...I've always found that odd.

We then headed back to the gate with horse in tow. She had me lead him through the gate and then she brought the ATV through and I wasn't sure if she was going to drive down first and us follow but apparently I was to lead him in front of her (under scrutiny...) Immediately I was told I needed to lead him differently.  He needed to be behind me with his nose at least two feet behind me.  I couldn't see where he was, it was the oddest thing.  I should have just said hell with it and led him the way I know to lead a horse...but with her I felt like I had to wait for her instruction.

  I felt like I was just holding a rope but I "led" him to the barn.  I want to see the horse so I know where they are while leading if they are way behind me they could plow into me with no warning.  I was starting to get on edge with this lady.  We went to the barn and stood there talking while I held the gelding and pet him a bit.  I don't even remember what she was saying at that point, I was already so nervous and shutting down.  She lunged him and he was being a little silly and even plowed into her at one point like he wasn't seeing her.  She then had me give it a try.  We just had the long lead rope, no stick and string which I'm used to since you get a bit more distance between you and the horse....it's an extension of the arm.  I slid my hand down the rope and up and did a point and cluck and got him moving but he was too close and I just had the rope to use to move him out of my space. 

Immediately she said I was doing it wrong I didn't even have a chance to ease into his way of going and mine and get my self situated with only the lead rope (which is limiting at least to me). I lunge Dani all the time but I have a 15 foot lead rope and a stick and string to communicate with her. Sometimes we have moments where it looks like complete crap until we get into the groove of communication.  I've never been good at twirling the rope end for lunging. The lady drew a circle on the ground and said I needed to stay in there and not chase the horse around, yes I understand that is the goal but new horse, different equipment, give me a moment.  I'm trying to get into the groove and not being given a second to think without her saying I'm doing this wrong or I'm doing that wrong, I'm too green with ground work etc etc. I can't think straight with that type of "instruction". Tell me what to do and give me some time to figure out what you are saying.  Everyone does stuff slightly different.

I was done with that shit though and was getting hot in the face and knew the tears were coming; I was pissed.  I felt like I needed to explain but couldn't fully.  I don't know why I said stuff about my past two years of being off from riding because of my parents deaths, my horses health issues etc. like I needed to apologize to her why I was rusty;  I don't owe this lady anything!  I left.  I was embarrassed and humiliated...and I'm a pussy. Why can't I just say "Hey give me a moment to digest what you want, it's different, I have different tools than I'm used to using and I disagree with some of what you have been telling me".  Also why can't people just let you have some time to feel things out? I have to learn to ask....no....I have to learn to TELL.  I need this....give me this...or I'll move on. I would have gotten there with the lunging, there is always the second of fumbling with the tools even with my horses.  I'm furious looking back about how I should have "fixed the halter first", just led the horse the way I've been taught since age 8 and then asked for what I'm used to for lunging a horse.  It's rough looking at other people's horses.

Bummed

It's a bummer when you have been looking for another horse that's a less common breed and there are few in your state for sale thus far and then you finally find one with the mind you like and a personality that makes you just want to snuggle on the sofa with him and eat cookies....then something comes up on the vet exam you can't take a risk on so you have to pass.  Ugh.

Just gotta post my lovely mare here to make me happy in this bummer moment.  It's not the end of the world.  I had a couple "almost the right horse" moments before I found Daenerys (and she wasn't even the top breed I was looking for at the time!). And I'm certainly not looking for perfect, she isn't....but darn close!  LOL.

Look at that muddy awkward stance/picture angle on a slope photo of her!  Isn't she wonderful!  I love my old mare, scars, flaws, attitude and all.  I hope this weekend is good weather since I need to get a nice pony ride in to remind myself that I have a wonderful horse, two actually Chance is a grumpy old man but he can be a sweetie too.  

I'm just adding a younger one to the herd and that will happen when it does! I shan't fret!

Gaited Horse World

In any equine discipline there is bad riding that can often become the "norm". The bad riding can also be abusive.

Rollkur

Why do you need to use this overly restrictive posture to get a horse to collect?  Answer: you don't!!!

Peanut rollers and unnatural gaits

Horses hoppling around in the arena....why is this attractive? It's not and it's definitely not pleasure.

Tenneesee Walker Pads/Soring and Chains

Pic from: https://good-horse.com/blog/end-big-lick/

Tenneesee Walking horses are a well known area. The stacked pads and high stepping that is gained unnaturally....why?  Just why??

Gaited horses in General-harsh bits

Photo From: https://profchoice.com/i-7196459-wonder-bit-smooth-snaffle.html

Equipment is often used as short cuts but just watching those high headed, and hollowed out gaiting horses makes me cringe. You don't have to use harsh bits.  So many people ride in snaffles, bitless and heck, even in simple halters.  Training takes time.  A 30 day trainer brush up....you really think that will fully train a horse?  Ugh.  

All of this has come to the forefront as I've researched gaited horses, Rocky Mountains in particular.  I've looked at two horses now and both were in a gag bit. I don't get it...if you want a soft horse you need a soft bit and you need to teach them to give to pressure not pull away from the pressure to avoid pain.

So far I'm hearing from some gaited horse people that "You can't ride that horse in a snaffle!  You need this foot long shanked bit!" You can't gait without leaning way back or using this bit or having the horses head high up. Or apparently this so called "Wonder Bit" is the best bit for gaited horse, which is a leverage gag bit.  Ugh. No thank you.  I will put the work in with a good trainer to get the horse soft and subtle in a snaffle. I'm hoping I can find a Rocky that hasn't had such extreme short cuts used in it's training.

I've reached out to a local trainer that I really think may be a good fit when I find my next horse.  She trains softness and has the same philosophy in training and riding as I've learned in recent years (the training that I had at Quintessential Arabians, great natural horsemanship) She also mentioned how she felt about harsh bits in the gaited world.  As I've been doing research it's some of the same stuff I see in a lot of disciplines; there are few areas of the horse world untouched by short cuts to get the ribbon or the big bucks unfortunately.

You don't need harsh bits for most riding, a simple curb or a double jointed or even mullen mouth snaffle or heck even bridle less headstall can be used with success if you put the time in and stop taking short cuts.  I've seen a lot of 2 year old Rocky Mountains or Tennessee walkers horses under saddle.  Their horses don't grow much faster than the rest of the horses in the world.

I've ridden several horses for sale in the past couple months.  I had some interesting experiences and have heard varied suggestions or ways to get the horse to gait.  What it boils down to is training and any horse with the right temperament can be retrained.  You don't a certain bit or a saddle to ride a gaited horse. You need a saddle that FITs properly and a bit (or no bit!) that the horse has been trained to understand and a horse that has been trained to carry their bodies in the best way to move properly.

I'll go into some details of the rides I've had but today I'm finishing up this post I started before Thanksgiving and am finally posting now.  I had a ride on a horse today that I think may be the gaited horse I bring home. I have that gut feeling and that's a good thing to have!

Sundowner Trailer

 I had sadly sold my old trailer last year, it was just rusting in place, large and needed more work again and I was just not up for another project that was going to take me away from my horses.  Dani is not a loader and with her tender feet I think she may be more of a home body.  I'll see what I can do about teaching her to load but I'm not going to hold my breath. Chance for sure is a home body since he is not rideable.  So my two older ponies can live the great life at home and I can ride Dani around here.

My future plan is to begin looking for a younger trail horse that can trailer and is calm on trails.  If I can get Dani to come along great I can may bring Steve too!  But I do need a horse to stay with Chance and I doubt I'm going to expand from my two horses all the way to four at the moment. So for now the plan is a trail horse for myself that I can take all over.

I casually was looking at trailers online and was interested in a couple but never really pursued any.  Then I saw an ad in the local agriculture paper for a 2004 Sundowner in Bahama, my very tiny town in NC.  I called the seller up and then went over and checked out a very well kept two horse trailer with a walk in tack room.  I was beyond happy with the trailer. So we bought it on the spot and brought it home...now for a name....Sunny is too obvious....

We'll need to get new tires and then rerun the trailer hookup electrical line since it's a bit worn out and attempts to fall off when hauling thereby loosing working lights when it does but these are minor issues.  It was a great price so I'm excited to have this trailer!

Now the harder part, beginning to look for another horse with trail riding and trailering in mind.  Dani is a hard horse to beat with her personality. The fact that she's been off for nearly two years and I barely had any issues getting her back in gear for riding speaks volumes about her mind.  She is such a sweet and willing horse, certainly more whoa than go. She may just be a horse for rides around the property and up in the forest nearby she is a confidence building for sure.  I love her to pieces so to find another trail riding horse is hard for me, I feel like I'm giving up on her.  In honestly I'm being realistic.  She has health issues and with the laminitis past I don't know how much she can take on a trail even if I could load her.  I want to get out and about and go up in the mountains and ride and do clinics and finally meet people in NC that like to ride.  I don't see doing that with Dani unless she can load in a trailer and I don't know if she'd hold up for hours of trail riding with her past laminitis issues.  

Only time will tell so I am keeping a close eye on her health. If we can get the track system to have less grass grow in it that would be fantastic.  I definitely saw that she moved a lot more on it which is great! She and Chance are our forever horses so they stay here until their last days. The next horse I bring home will be the same, so I need to find the right riding partner.  That's the long hard part for sure. Trailer was easy!

Chance's Crazy Month

While Steve and I were away in Iceland Chance had a run in with that spring gate I'd talked about in the previous post. I have no idea exactly what happened but the spring gate got caught on his tail, he probably ran around like crazy and Dani was probably chasing him. Then by the water trough he barreled through the top rail either kicked it or hit it when he tried to jump it....this is my feeble 24 almost 25 year old horse with all the health issues. He normally just plods around the paddock and pastures like the effort is enormous. Anyhow, he got out of the paddock and then ended up down the street where my neighbor later found him. All four legs had big scrapes on them and he was bleeding some. He was in pain.

My pet sitter was alerted while our friends who had been helping care for our dog and indoor critters got home from work and tried to patch up the fencing. My pet sitter called me and was really concerned about how Chance was moving, he wasn't putting weight on some of his legs. I told her to get the emergency vet out. We were afraid we'd be making a decision from Iceland that we didn't want to make. Luckily the vet treated his wounds, they weren't as bad as my pet sitter suspected and the pain meds helped him too. She kept him separate from Dani for the rest of the week. Poor guy and my poor pet sitter, she is in the process of cutting back to give herself more time for travel so I'm sure this was the final straw! Just kidding, she's still gonna help out but I found another farm sitter group for our travels so I won't have to worry about critter care.

So Chance recovered from that and then a few weeks later I had the vet out again on a Sunday because he was acting off. I suspected colic or impaction with his behavior and lack of eating or pooping. The vet came out and they said his gut sounds were good. We didn't know what to do and I wasn't going to make a call at that time. We decided pain meds to get him over what ever issue was going on and stayed on the course of wait and see. Moist food was provided. The next morning no better really and he seemed to be more agitated and not laying down for long at all when he did. This time they gave him more pain meds and electrolytes. I'd even called his former owner since she had not seen him in a while and I really wasn't sure what way we were going.  

We did get one bowel movement and the gut sounds were still good. We became more aggressive with electrolytes and damp food. I got some alfalfa cubes that I soaked, some mash and electrolytes. Chance pulled through and began eating more. I kept him separate from Dani and soaked his food really well and continued with the pain meds for a day as well as continuing to finish with the alfalfa. He's been loosing weight so we've had him on more grain lately but not so recent as to cause this. I think we just need to really soak it for feeding him at this point since 1) he's getting more than just the 1lb a day and 2) he's older and his teeth are probably not as good.

A tooth floating is on the books for both horses, fall always seems to be that time of year. I'm very happy that he seems to be doing much better and is eating well again. He's got a lot of health issues with Cushings, Heaves, suspensory ligament degradation (DSL) and the vet questioned maybe sidewinders....still have to read about that. He holds his body off when he's in pain so that may just be a coincidence since I don't see it now that he is well. We are just trying to keep him happy and comfortable for as long as he desires. We'll know when he's done. I didn't think he was this time around and I'm glad we held on with pain meds and let him work through this minor issue. With the good gut sounds we still don't know if he was slightly impacted or colic or what. I wish horses could talk; happy to have my bay Arabian pony still here though! :-)

Something So Obvious

Wow.  This post has been in the draft stage about a year now....just forgot about it.  It's something so simple and yet my life in the barn has become easier because of it.  

What you ask?  Stall door holdbacks.  I have the swing doors in the barn that came withour property.  It's always had these flimsy little holdbacks that really annoyed me since they take a lot more fine motor skills to get them hooked and unhooked.  If you have a horse in the other hand it gets really annoying.

We'd redone an old trailer so I had come across trailer hold backs and one day it finally dawned on me....why not use something like that in the barn?

There is an "innie" and an "outie" part of the hold back, and yes those are technical terms.  The doors are held open with a quick push as the metal piece goes into the rubber center of the innie part of the hold back.

It works perfect on my tack room door, the two stalls and then the gate to the barn area that usually is open.

Next was the "gate" for the one pasture, we could never get our tractor through it without having to hold up the grass shoot flap.  It was a pain since it was a tight squeeze.  Well come to find out that there are electric spring gates that can be used in a larger gap in the fence and viola (vola?)!  We have a "gate" that is much easier to use when we need to mow.

Now I'm going to give a Public Service announcment.....DO NOT USE SPRING GATES!!!  We had a crazy issue with this gate when we were in Iceland of course where Chance got is caught in his tail apparently.  I'll post about that another time.  Now I just use a string of hot rope and it works just as good.

AGAIN, DO NOT USE ELECTRIC SPRING GATES WITH SILLY HORSES!!!!

    Both horses are doing well as I type this.  I have a lot to catch the blog up on but things are getting a little bit back to normal here.  Knock on wood.  Happy Fall!

Iceland and Icelandic Horses

 This year has been a hard year and as the temperatures cool I'm happy that I'm now more than ever ready to dust off my mare and get back to riding.  She has her insulin resistance issue still, got a little tender in early September but got her off any grass and she was good the next day and the vet wasn't too worried.  I need to build up her sole some more and then when I ride see how boots work with her.  Hopefully it will go well but of course I need to start with groundwork for now.  She's very rusty and so am I!

Anyways, I have recently ridden a horse though.  My hubby and I did have some time to take a short vacation to Iceland for a week.  I rode a cute gelding name Tindur, meaning mountainside.  He was a bit lazy and I'm not sure if we actually got to do a Tolt but he was smooth whatever we did and was a sweet mount on a cold and rainy day.  Riding on the beach was nice and being on an Icelandic horse was awesome.  I think this breed would not be suited to North Carolina heat though!

The main goal in going to Iceland was to see the northern lights and then experience some more of this amazing earth on which we live.  We had a mostly overcast week but we lucked out with a clear evening and a substorm of solar wind and a great northern lights display that made me tear up so much I lost a contact!  Luckily that contact landed in a clear patch of walkway and I could place it back into it's place to enjoy the rest of the beautiful sky.

The trip was amazing even though it was rainy and overcast most of the time.  We saw a lot of waterfalls between Reykevik and Vik on the southwest area of Iceland.  Didn't venture much further since there was a ton to see there.  If you ever go to Iceland stay for two weeks and see as much as you can.  We crammed in a lot in the week we were there with 3 days in the capital city and then the rest in the country side towards Vik.  

The southern most tip of the island that is Iceland was gorgeous and we got there right about at sunset so the lighting made the land that much more ethereal. It was part of the network of Black sand beaches and that contrast of the foamy white waves and the black sand was striking.

We got close to an iceberg but were not prepared with time or equipment to get up close and personal with it.  Maybe an other time but it was awesome to see one so close. Are traveling penguin Percy who we've had since 2005 went with us and posted about his adventures on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/percy.forster.16 .  It's always nice to get away from it all!  

2022-Not My Favorite Year

This year has already been a hard year.  My parents' health struggles continued (there was a blip about it in my post about Dani's hooves). I tend to keep this blog horse focused but there has not been much horse stuff for me aside from the regular care for my babies who are both doing well. Anways I digress.

The horrible news is that in January my father passed away after a long struggle to gain strength in the aftermath his emergency intestinal surgery last September.  He was doing better and had just gotten through a surgery to reverse the ileostomy bag.  His heart began beating faster so he went to ICU.  The morning of January 14th he was talking with a nurse and then suddenly had a heart attack and went quick and peacefully.  It was instant we were told which is at least some comfort.

All of us were heartbroken and shocked because he'd been improving.  My mother in the assisted living home was told in person by my father's sister, her priest, and my brother and I were on the phone 2,000 miles away. We were out in Colorado that following week dealing with his death and arrangements that were made for the end of February.  Then we headed home while my aunt and cousin stayed to assist mom and continue packing up the house. We needed to get mom to assisted living near my brother and I as soon as we could after dad's memorial.

About a week later my mother had a doctor's appointment and that infection in her sutures, the infection that reared its ugly head back in September, had come back with a vengeance.  I flew out two weeks before the memorial to help my mother in the hospital and continue with the efforts for packing up the house in prep for moving and then selling of their house.  My mother wanted to be in NC near me so I also spent time while out there and while I was in NC looking for assisted living places for her.

My mother had two additional back surgeries to clear out the infection.  The second included a graft of muscle due to her skin around the wounds turning black.  Then she had an emergency surgery for a perforation of the intestine.  She was so weak I was surprised she made it through any of those three surgeries. 

After the memorial I had wanted to get her on a plane with me to bring her home to NC. That did not happen since she was so weak I couldn't possibly have been able to help her navigate the airports. The hospital would not have discharged her either. The plan was to get her strong enough to be discharged to rehab and we could then have her on a plane to NC with a nurse to assist her during the flight. That was apparently not going to happen either. I received a call from the palliative nurses at the hospital in early March.  I had a conversation with my mother that she didn't want to fight anymore.  She would have to have more surgeries to fight her infection and her physical improvement was virtually nonexistent. She wanted to be on hospice.  It was a hard phone call.  I figured out what to do financially and chartered a medical flight from CO to NC on March 18th.

Mom arrived late friday night on a stretcher to a nursing home in Hillsborough, NC. Assisted living was out the question with her needs and that was hard to convey to her.  The hope was maybe she would get stronger, since she was out of the hospital and with my brother and I nearby to encourage her.  She was positive for those first weeks and it was great to see her regularly. I made sure to always keep pretty flowers visible from her bedside.  Some weeks I was there every day as I got her settled but I needed to pace myself too.  There was a lot to still do with finances and then a discovery that my dad's life insurance probably was not there to assist with her increased needs.  Long story but it was a blow and I was overly worried about how to care for my mother and pay for the medical flight from CO to NC.

The fact that she was nearby was a blessing.  She got to see her grandchildren and son many times and I got to spend time with her as well.  Mom was on hospice but they did evaluate her for physical therapy.  That was not a possibility since she was in such a fragile state. The nurses did get her up to sit in a chair but my mother was not able to stand that for long.  She continued to decline.  I freaked out shortly after she arrived when she had a urinary tract infection that manifested with major confusion and hallucinations on her part.  It was very scary to me but at least cleared up quickly, certainly a new and disconcerting experience.  Then Mom had an Emergency Room visit due to uncontrolled bleeding from her abdominal sutures that should have been long healed.

My mother just wasn't healing.  She ate some food but not enough and what little she ate didn't really absorb into her system. In mid May I was told by hospice that she was declining and they felt she would pass in the next two weeks.  A day later that timeline was one week and the next day we were told and could see for ourselves that it was very imminent.  My brother and sister-in law came down on a Thursday, my aunt (mom's sister) flew in from the Caribbean and Mom's brother from Pennsylvania came down as well as a cousin from Georgia. 

We spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday with her in the small nursing home room.  She was aware she was dying I'm sure on Wednesday when I saw her and held her hand and told her how much I appreciated and loved her.  She was aware on Thursday and told us she loved us, it was hard to talk and she was more moans than words but we knew and she knew and much love was exchanged as we all held her hand. When she rested the family talked about memories and we hope that with hearing being the last sense to go that Mom heard the happy memories and about how much we loved her. Friday she somewhat responded to us talking to her.  Then Saturday her breathing was very gasping and labored.  We didn't get much response from her.  We all said we loved her and said our goodbyes probably 5 times throughout the day between going to lunch or taking breaks.  When we left that evening we felt like this was the very last time we'd speak to her.

I kissed her forehead, told her "Peace be with you mom. I will love you forever". I left soft harp music playing when we all took our leave that evening.  I hope the music was soothing in her last hours.  She passed within 2 hours after we left.  Maybe even right after we left, who knows.  That's the hard part.  We weren't there, the medical nurse checked on her and discovered she'd passed.  The hospice nurse had warned us that most likely she would pass when we weren't there and to not be troubled by the possibility. She knew we were there in the days leading up. We all had held her hand, told her we loved her and supported her until her mind was most likely floating somewhere between this world and the next.  

This has been the hardest thing I've had to do.  Caring for my mother, trying not to be overwhelmed with everything that comes with being a Power of Attorney and Executor of an Estate, grieving for my passed father while staying strong to support my dying mother and then also trying to be there for her in the end and questioning whether I did enough. Now we live on...without Dad and without Mom, to carry on their love and reflect on the memories.   

Dad died January 14th and Mom died May 14th. Exactly four months apart. I'm still in shock that both my parents are gone. Their lives over and plans ended.  They were 72 and 74, still young enough to have been able to enjoy the golden years.  It's hard to believe that 2022 isn't even at its halfway point and I feel like I've aged several years thus far. The road of grief lies before me but hopefully healing and peace as well. Peace be with you Mom and Dad, I'll love you forever.